Stem for tobacco pipes and the like



Feb. 26, 1957 H. w. FISHER 2,782,789

STEM FOR TOBACCO PIPES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. :51, 1955 INVENTOR ATTO RN EYS United States Patent Q STEM FOR TOBACCO PIPES AND THE LIKE HermanW. Fisher, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application January 31, 1955, Serial No. 484,976

2 Claims. (Cl. 13121i)) This invention relates to an improved stemconstruction for tobacco pipes or the like.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a stern constructionwhich will remove from tobacco smoke a large percentage of the tars,nicotine, moisture or other objectionable products which it carries insuspension before it reaches the smokers mouth. It is also an importantobject of the invention to adequately cool the smoke in its transitthrough the stem.

A still further object is to provide a baffling arrangement for thesmoke in which the smoke must pass under and over a series of baffieplates having a trap-like well below each bafile under which the smokepasses. Another object is to provide a bafiie chamber having a bottomaccess opening over which a suitable closure cap can be placed, whichcap has resilient means for holding it in position, the cap when in itsproper position being arranged to contact the bottom edges of any bafflewhich provides an overpass for the smoke. A further object is to providea battle and well construction of the type described in which moistureincident to the burning of the tobacco will be prevented from reachingthe mouth and, vice versa, in which any moisture from the mouth will beprevented from reaching the point of combustion, the said moisturecoming from both directions being trapped in the baflie chamber andabsorbed upon an absorbent pad, if desired.

How the foregoing objects, together with any other objects which mayhereinafter appear or are incident to my invention are attained, isillustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a verticallongitudinal section of my improved stem with the bowl of a pipeattached thereto, the bowl being shown in side elevation and the sectionbeing taken as indicated by the line 1-1 in Figure 2; Figure 2 is abottom view of the structure of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a verticaltransverse section taken as indicated by the line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Examination of the figures of the drawing will show that my improvedstem comprises a main body portion 4 having the usual head 5 at the endwhich enters the smokers mouth and a reduced extension 6 at the oppositeend over which may be fitted the stem of a pipe bowl 7 or other likedevice for holding the tobacco product to be smoked.

Intermediate its ends but preferably somewhat closer to the reducedextension 6 than to the mouth bead 5, my improved stem is provided withan enlarged portion 8, the interior of which constitutes a bafllechamber 9 in which a plurality of baiiles 10, 11 and 12 are arranged sothat the smoke as it passes from the region of combustion to the mouthof the smoker must follow a tortuous path. In the embodiment illustratedthis tortuous path is created by virtue of the fact that the bafiies 1iand 12 are secured at their top and side edges to the main bodystructure of the chamber 8 so that they provide underpasses for thesmoke as illustrated by the arrows 13 and 14. The other or mid-baffle 11in the embodiment illustrated is secured at its sides only and thisbafiie provides an overpass for the smoke as indicated by the arrow 15.In this connection it will be understood, of course, that the smoke fromthe region of combustion flows through a passageway 16 on its way to themouth bead 5.

The bafiie chamber 8 is constructed with a downwardly protrudingextension 17 and it will be noted that the arrangement is such as tocause the smoke coming from the region of combustion to enter the bathechamber at a point above the horizontal mid-region of the chamber and toleave the chamber at a diametrically opposite point so as to provide-fora series of extended travel paths in the vertical direction. The lowerend of the extension 17 is provided with an access opening as clearlyshown in the drawings, which access opening is covered by cap member 18.The mid-baffle 11, which is fastened at its side edges only, is arrangedso that its bottom edge lies in the same horizontal plane as the bottomface of the protruding extension 17. In this way when the cap is in itsassembled position on the extension 17, it will contact the bottom edgeof any baiile which provides an overpass for the smoke and thereby serveto create a trap-like well under the bottom edge of the bafiies whichprovide underpasses for the smoke. At this point it should be noted thatwhile 1 have illustrated three bafiies in the present embodiment, itshould be understood that a greater number of battles may be employed,if desired. The more baflies, of course, the cooler and drier will thesmoke be by the time it reaches the smokers mouth.

The cap is formed preferably as a one piece, slightly resilient plasticmember which has an inwardly extending ridge or bead-like flange 19adapted to firmly grip the sides of the protruding extension 17 and tohold the cap by frictional contact in its proper position, thearrangement being such as to effect tight closure at this point for theexclusion of air.

Before the cap is placed in position, there can be placed in its bottomportion, if desired, a relatively thin pad 2% of some suitably absorbentmaterial, which is designed primarily to soak up the moisture. It shouldbe understood, however, that such an absorbent pad is not essential to arealization of the principal advantages of my improved stem although itsuse will minimize the number of times that the cap must be removed forcleaning purposes.

Inasmuch as the cap 13 is held in place by virtue of a resilientfrictional engagement with the sides of the extension 17, it can bequickly and easily removed when it is desired to clean out the chamber.

I wish to call attention to the fact that with my improved constructionthe stem with all of the baffles employed can be made either as a singlepiece or with all of the baffles secured firmly to the body of the stem.This provides a very strong construction and also a very simple oneinasmuch as there is but a single removable part, namely, the capmember.

The smoke is dried and cooled by virtue of its long travel through thebaflle chamber and much of the deleterious products of combustion aretrapped in the series of wells in the lower portion of the chamber,thereby yielding a smoke which is far cleaner than it otherwise wouldbe. Furthermore, the pipe bowl remains relatively free of incrustationsbecause of the fact that the moisture is removed and trapped in thewells and can not flow back into the bowl. Also, the fact that there islittle or no moisture in the bowl, keeps the tobacco from becoming soggyand enables it to burn to a fine ash. In addition to the foregoingadvantages my improved stem construction makes it a very easy task toclean the pipe and this can be done without the need of a pipe cleanersimply by removing the bowl and the closure cap and flowing watertherethrough.

I claim:

1. A smokers pipe stem or similar device having a baffle chamberinterposed in the passageway for the smoke, said chamber having aplurality of bafile plates extending cross-wise of the axis of thepassageway and arranged so that the smoke must follow a tortuous paththrough the chamber alternately under and over the plates, and thebottom of the chamber having an access opening and a readily removableclosure cap for said access opening, any one of said bafile plates whichprovides an underpass for the smoke being secured to the walls of thechamber at the top and at the sides and any one of said bafile plateswhich provides an overpass being secured at thesides, and said stem withits chamber and bafiie plates being formed as a unitary piece.

2. A smokers pipe stem or similar device having a bafile chamberinterposed in the passageway for the smoke, said chamber beingconstructed with a downwardly protruding extension having an accessopening at the bottom thereof, a plurality of bafile plates extendingcross-wise of the axis of the passageway and arranged so that the smokemust follow a tortuous path bottom face of the protruding extension andwith the bottom edge of any overpass" bafile to provide a traplike wellunder the bottom edge of any underpass bafile.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS933,360 Carabias Sept. 7, 1909 980,551 Noble Jan. 3, 1911 1,948,645Brown Feb. 27, 1934 2,588,713 Fischbach Mar. 11, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS v141,436 Germany May 19, 1903 220,819 Germany Apr. 11, 1910 1,005,545France Dec. 26, 1951

